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Courses Taught

History 140—The American Civil War

An examination of civil and military issues, such as the causes ofthe war, strategy and tactics, and technological change, the limits of individual dissent, and changes in the status of minorities. Students explore why the North won and the South lost the conflict. Open to first-year students and sophomores only.

History 230—History of the United States, 1585 - 1865

An examination of the forces that have shaped the experiences of theAmerican people from the age of discovery through the Civil War. The course focuses on the development of Anglo-American colonial society, the foundation of the new nation, the reforms of the Jacksonian Era, the causes of sectionalism, and the crisis of the Civil War.

History 234—African-American History to 1865

An examination of the history of African-Americans from their earliest appearance in America to the end of the Civil War. Issues such as slavery, slave society and economy, African-Americans and the American Revolution, African-Americans and the Civil War, and the abolition of slavery are explored.

History 328—The Rise of Democracy in America

An analysis of the era of sectionalism and social reform in American history, this course focuses on the age of Andrew Jackson, slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction, and traces the evolution of American society from 1828 to 1867.

History 331—Problems in Nineteenth Century America

A topical study of major historical issues in the United States during the nineteenth century. Topics may include: the Civil War in American memory; the formation of American nationalism; the emergence of reform movements including abolition and emancipation, temperance, women's rights, and evangelism; the United States in the context of the Atlantic World; and the development of constitutionalism and law in the United States.

History 342—History of the American South

An examination of the ways in which the region of the American South has evolved from slavery to freedom. Emphasis is placed on developing an understanding of the course of black history, the secession crisis, the Civil War, the New South and the Sunbelt South.

History 588—Nations and Nationalisms: The Historical Development of the Nation-State

An historical examination of the creation and persistence of nations and nationalisms in international perspective. Even at their most basic level, definitions of "nation" and "nationalism" branch out to include blood, language, history, race and ethnicity, politics, and territory. The development of nations in Europe, North America, and Latin America from the seventeenth to the twenty-first centuries, as well as comparative reference to the development of nations in Asia and Africa, is discussed.

History 589—The Second American Revolution: America in Civil War and Reconstruction

An historical examination of the period of the Second American Revolution, from 1846 to 1895. In the middle of the nineteenth century, the United States underwent a series of profound transformations centered on the Civil War and the long years of Reconstruction that followed. Among these transformations were the sectional development of politics, the changing sphere of liberty, the abolition of slavery and the developing meaning of freedom for African-Americans, the relationship between the federal and state governments, and profound changes in the nature of the Constitution and laws. These topics may be among those considered. Not all of the transformations were immediately effective, but our project is to understand how they came about, how they developed, and how they changed the United States and its people.